The Pelagonitissa (also known as "The Virgin with the Playing Child") is a type of depiction of the

Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

(often in

icon An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Catholic Church, Catholic, and Lutheranism, Lutheran churches. The most common subjects include Jesus, Mary, mother of ...

s) in which the Virgin holds an infant Jesus in an abrupt movement, his head back and grabbing onto her. Pelagonitissa was developed in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries in the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...

, particularly in

Macedonia Macedonia (, , , ), most commonly refers to: * North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, known until 2019 as the Republic of Macedonia * Macedonia (ancient kingdom), a kingdom in Greek antiquity * Macedonia (Greece), a former administr ...

. The name ''Pelagonitissa'' refers to the city of

Bitola Bitola (; ) is a city in the southwestern part of North Macedonia. It is located in the southern part of the Pelagonia valley, surrounded by the Baba, Nidže, and Kajmakčalan mountain ranges, north of the Medžitlija-Níki border crossing ...

, previously known as ''

Pelagonia Pelagonia (; ) is a geographical region of Macedonia named after the ancient kingdom. Ancient Pelagonia roughly corresponded to the present-day municipalities of Bitola, Prilep, Mogila, Novaci, Kruševo, and Krivogaštani in North Macedo ...

''. Pelagonitissa is often seen as a variant of the

Eleusa icon The Eleusa (or ''Eleousa''; – ''tenderness'' or ''showing mercy'') is a type of depiction of the Virgin Mary in icons in which the Christ Child is nestled against her cheek. In the Western Church the type is often known as the Virgin of Tende ...

in which the infant Jesus rests. One of the best-known examples is in the

Church of St. George, Staro Nagoričane The Church of St. George (, or simply Црква "Свети Ѓорѓи" / ; / ) is a Macedonian Orthodox church in the village of Staro Nagoričane, near Kumanovo in North Macedonia, built by medieval Serbian king Stefan Milutin. It is notewo ...

, restored by the Serbian king

Milutin Milutin () is a Serbian masculine given name of Slavic origin. The name may refer to: *Stephen Uroš II Milutin of Serbia (1253–1321), king of Serbia * Milutin Bojić (1892–1917), poet * Milutin Ivković (1906–1943), footballer *Milutin Milan ...

in the 13th century.

References

External links

* Eastern Orthodox icons of the Virgin Mary Culture of the Byzantine Empire Virgin Mary in art {{orthodoxy-stub

See also

References

External links